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Tuesday, April 07, 2009

The Clayboard Class

I’ve never been very good at following verbal instructions when I’m taking a workshop. What often happens is that I hear (and see) what I’m supposed to do, then I immediately wonder how I can give things my own spin and go off on a tangent. I get so involved that I ignore what everyone else is doing (even the instructor), and I usually end up with something completely off base. That’s what happened here in the Clayboard workshop at Artfest, so I wasn’t very happy with what I “produced.”Sometimes I think my main role in this kind of experience is to make everyone else feel better about what they’re doing! Not only was I the slowest person in this class, but I also failed to use most of the techniques that Mary Beth Shaw showed us—like how to mix colors—and I could certainly have benefited from that if I’d been paying more attention.One thing I did notice was that I spend way more time on composition than other people do, instead of just going with the flow. While there are times when this works to my advantage, in this case, the means didn’t justify the end.Martha told me that she always follows exactly what the instructor says so that she can pick up new techniques and use them properly. I just wish we’d had this discussion before Artfest instead of on the plane coming back.

Hi! I was in the same class as you with Lynne Perella I think. 2nd day? Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I really like your picture, whether it is following the instructions or not. and I agree with your thought: learning a technique is always fun, but it is first when you can incorporate what you have learned into your own style that it really becomes interesting.

My art has appeared several times in ATC Quarterly. It's the coolest zine around.

Moos created by several artists in Europe and North America, including me, were published in this issue.

RubberStampMadness did an interview with me here on my mail art activities and also published several of my stamps and postcards. I went on to write for the magazine and did articles, interviews and a column called "The Creative Process" which prompted me to write my book.

Canadian Scrapbooker published an article I wrote and illustrated on making ATCs.

Teesha Moore published my digital collages in a couple of issues of her popular zine "The Studio."

A four-page article on Photoshop Tips for Teesha Moore's Art & Life

One of my book forms appears in Somerset Gallery III.

A couple of pieces of my art appeared in the first issue of Somerset Gallery.